Saturday, November 30, 2013

The Holidays are Coming!

Happy Thanksgiving!


We cooked our favorite dishes all day long, and we finished just in time to take a family picture before Clara had to go to bed!


We made a Bruleed pumpkin pie this year.  We don't have a kitchen torch, but who needs one when you have a plumbing torch?!


Then we put up the tree!  Grace LOVES the tree and really enjoyed decorating it.  She says she wants to go look at it first thing in the morning, and we turn it on together with showy ceremony!


The tree is a little off balance because Grace was driving us nuts taking all the ornaments off the tree.  Now the bottom half is amusingly undecorated!  The piano looks so picturesque next to the tree.  We are loving having Grandma's piano and we play it every day!  Even Grace takes a turn or five!


Nothing makes it feel more like home than the addition of the 4th and final stocking for our little family, all made by my mom.  They are so beautiful (and out of reach on the bookshelf)!

Friday, November 22, 2013

SNOW!

I was asked about every 30 seconds to go outside this morning...


She is having the time of her life in the first snow of the season!  I barely even got this picture because she was moving around so much.  She was having a blast exploring!  I'd ask her to stand still and she would say "no mom, I'm walking in the snow!"  The difference between this year and last year is quite funny.  Last year, I bundled her all up thinking she was going to love it.  She took one step in the snow and then begged to go back inside, I think because it was difficult for her to walk on it.  This year, outside is all she can talk about!  She also had a huge meltdown when we came back inside.  It is in the 20's out there so we couldn't stay out forever, even though I think she might if given the chance!

Monday, November 18, 2013

Aunt Sam and Uncle Brian!

Aunt Sam and Uncle Brian came to visit this weekend!


Everyone had a blast playing and hanging out!


Sam brought presents to spoil the girls.  That is one happy face!


Brian was a natural with both girls!


He got Grace to go down the biggest slide at the park for the first time!


Sam says he is good with kids because he is a big kid too.


They are pretending to be scooped up here I think.


I think we're all wondering when you both can come back!


Monday, November 4, 2013

5 Months Old!

Clara turned 5 months old yesterday!

Clara is saying "It's 5 am!  Good morning, mommy!"

She is a happy baby.  She LOVES her big sister.  Her face brightens whenever Grace comes near, and Grace cracks her up all the time!




She loves to be on her belly, and can hang out on the floor like this looking at things for quite some time.  She especially likes if big sister Grace is playing near by.  She has been waking up in the middle of the night in this position.  I wonder if she is practicing to crawl, even in her sleep.  She has not been sleeping through the night still.  the last few days, she has been waking up around 4:30 or 5.  Ugh.  I'm staying positive and holding out for sleep this month!


Grace is testing us all the time in every possible way, but she is so sweet at the same time.  She loves repeating actions like closing and opening bags and putting things in, then taking them out.  (See the above video taking blankets off and putting them on Clara.)  She is also pretty smart with negotiating.  If we say it is too cold to go outside, she says "I need a sweater!"  She is fighting every single choice, even if it is what she originally wanted.  She wants pasta until you put it in front of her, then she doesn't want pasta.  But she asks me "did you have a good day, mommy?" when I come home from work, and she can be very kind and thoughtful to all of us.  I figure this is some of the fun of being two! 

UPDATE 11/5:  stop the presses!  It finally happened, Clara made it until 6:30 am!  Hallelujah!

Friday, November 1, 2013

Halloween 2013

Clara enjoyed her first Halloween!


As I previously mentioned, I made Grace's costume this year!  She told me what she wanted to be, and I thought that sounded easy enough.  After it is all said and done, If I had paid myself $5 an hour, plus the money for the materials I bought, I could have bought the nicest Pottery Barn costume available.  But I thought it would be fun to make one, and\even though it was more effort than I thought it would be, I'm still glad I did it.


Grace was a dinosaur!  I'm sure you're not surprised, since she is really into dinosaurs right now.


I was pretty pleased how it turned out.  I put together several internet tutorials to come up with it.  Thank goodness for the internet!


We had fun playing outside in the costumes for a little bit.


Avery came over and they had a great time together, as always!  Avery was Nemo the fish.  We trick or treated at two neighbors' houses.  Grace ate some candy and had a tremendous sugar high and crash.  I'm sure Avery's presence added to the hyper activity!


I was a pirate, as always!  Clara missed most of it, even the trick or treating, but she was up long enough to take some pictures.


It was a fun Halloween!  When I was putting Grace to bed, she kept asking for "more Halloween" as I was leaving the room.  She didn't wear her costume for very long before ripping it off, but hopefully it created a memory and anticipation for more fun next year!

 I would also like to acknowledge See Vanessa Sew  for the inspiration for the hoodie, How to be Jenna for her beautiful dinosaur eye design, and especially to Jessica at Running with Scissors for the tutorial for making dinosaur tails!